Ruling the de'Arnise Keep and Lands
Loot everything in the keep but leave nothing within it, because you’ll enter a new version of this area after accepting Nalia’s offer and there’s no way to return to its previous version. Monk, barbarian, single, multi, or active fighter of dual-class protagonists are eligible to accept Nalia’s offer upon the completion of The de'Arnise Keep has been Invaded side quest to rule the land if and only if they currently have no other stronghold, which means accepting this offer will lock away any other stronghold options if available. Benefits * Sleep safely within the keep, though potential quest related enemies such as Degardan of Edwin’s quest can still find you there * Receive tax rate per week, the money is stored in the library on the second floor * Milk the peasants by selecting “raise the tax rate” when talking to Majordomo, which results in an instant gain, but each time you do this, you upset the people beneath you more, and you risk of losing the keep permanently if they revolt. You can check how people feel about you by talking to the quartermaster * Fellow events that takes place in order after each week passed, except chapter 4 and 5 for obvious reasons Problem One: The Angry Merchant The first problem to attend to is the matter of an angry merchant who blames the player for not policing their land suitably, as he was attacked by bandits whilst travelling through. He demands reparation and an assurance that this will never happen again, or else he will not only cease coming to the Keep's holdings, he will foreclose on any properties he owns here - and he has quite a number, as the Majordomo warns the player. Firstly, the player has to choose how they will react to the merchant's requests for reparations. They may choose to pay him either 1000 gold pieces or 500 gold pieces, to send him away with nothing, or to have him executed. Paying 1000 gold pieces will make the peasantry happier, because this buys off at least some of their debts. Paying 500 is the "neutral" choice. Executing the merchant will grant the player 15500 XP, but will cause Revolt to rise as the peasants take this as a sign of tyranny. Refusing will cause a more drastic Revolt increase, as the merchant makes good his threats. Secondly, the player has to choose what they will do about the bandits. They can either pay 500 gold pieces to get some expert mercenaries to clear them out (grants positive attitude and 15000 XP), pay 250 gold pieces for some lower-skilled mercenaries who will winnow their ranks, but won't exterminate them (no bonus or penalty), or pay nothing (Revolt increases). Problem Two: The Thieving Guard Captain Cernick has caught one of his guards, Lastin, stealing money from the Keep's coffers. The player must decide how to deal with Lastin for this: * Executing Lastin nets no XP and causes Revolt to increase * Expelling Lastin from the guard nets 11500 XP with no change to the current Revolt * If you listen to his story - the medicine for his wife, you may also choose to cover the medicine cost of , then proceed to execute, expel, or overlook the matter this time, the “forgiving” option will net you 15500 XP and make the peasantry happy in the bargain Problem Three: The Priest of Tempus Bolumir, a wandering Cleric of Tempus, wants permission to set up a shrine in the Keep. The player is asked if they will allow this. Turning him away rudely will increase Revolt. Turning him away politely grants 11500 XP and leaves Revolt at its prior state. Granting his wish grants 15500 XP and provides access to Bolumir's shop/priest services in the former golem chamber on the second level of the Keep, as well as making the peasantry happy. Problem Four: Lord Roenall's Demand Lord Farthington Roenall has come to the Keep asking to speak to the player. If the player refuses to see him, then one of his guards will enter and make a threat to Gorion's Ward, trying to intimidate them into giving up the Keep, before leaving. If the player sees him, again, Lord Roenall demands that the player give the De'Arnise Keep to him. The player may either acquiesce, losing their Stronghold permanently, or throw him out (continues the Stronghold storyline). Problem Five: The Maid & Her Suitors One of the Keep's maids, a woman by the name of Chanelle, is caught in a love triangle between the poor Ranger Jessup (whom she loves), and the wealthy landowner Malvolio (whom she dislikes). Gorion's Ward is asked to resolve the matter. Declaring she is to marry neither of them will make the peasants angry, increasing Revolt. Declaring she is to marry Malvolio makes him offer you a "gift" of 500 gold pieces. Accepting, however, robs you of the 11500 XP you receive for refusing and makes the Revolt increase even further than the increase already provided by declaring Malvolio as Chanelle's husband. Declaring she is to marry Jessup grants 15500 XP, but makes them mention that the "old lord" promised them a dowry. The player may give them either 100 gold pieces or 500 gold pieces for a favorable reaction from the peasantry; the bigger the dowry, the happier they people are with their generous new lord. Problem Six: The Moneylenders A pair of suspicious individuals have approached the castle, claiming to be moneylenders to whom the "old lord" owed 2000 gold pieces. Whilst the Majordomo is convinced that their claims of a debt owed by the Lord of De'Arnise Keep are fraudulent, they do have friends who will apparently collect on debts owed by the local peasantry. The player may pay either the full 2000 gold pieces, or convince them to accept half that fee, which completes the quest but gives them nothing. Alternatively, the player may either throw the moneylenders out, or execute them, and then consider paying the debts of the peasants themselves. If this is chosen, paying nothing will do nothing, paying 500 gold pieces will grant 11500 XP, and paying 1000 gold pieces will grant 15500 XP. Problem Seven: The Flood A terrible flood has swept through the lands governed by the De'Arnise Keep. A represenative of the farmers has come to seek financial assistance in restoring the ruined lands, as well as to ask for the new lord to build dikes to prevent such a tragedy happening again. If the player accepts to pay 5000 gold pieces it grants 15500 XP. If the player offers to pay a portion it grants 4500 XP and asked how much to contribute: *5000 gold pieces grants 8500 XP (effectively missing out on 2500 XP and paying the same initial amount) *4000 gold pieces grants 6500 XP *3000 gold pieces grants 4500 XP *2000 gold pieces grants 2500 XP *1000 gold pieces grants no additional XP If the player refuses to pay anything, then a serious amount of Revolt is gained. After this has been sorted, the player can either pay 2000 gold pieces to build dikes or pay nothing (Revolt increases). Problem Eight: Invasion! Lord Roenall finally makes his move, attacking the Keep with his forces. The player and his party must meet Lord Roenall at the gate and kill him to stop the invasion. Success in this completes the Stronghold Questline for De'Arnise Keep and awards the player 50000 XP. The player may also loot Lord Roenall's body for Full Plate +1, a Bastard Sword +1, a Large Shield and some gold. Notes * The keep messenger may not reach the party in time before they exit the map, thus the quests will not advance. If this happens, using the console command CreateCreature("KPRUNN01") will spawn the messenger another time. Category:Quests Category:Quests in BG II: SoA Category:Quests in BG II: EE: SoA Category:Stronghold quests